What is Olympus up to?

Olympus plans are limited to march 2015, so there are still hopes a new 4/3 camera will come on 1st of April 2015

Seriously, 4/3 was not born to break the rules of photography, it was made to drive money into Olympus pockets, until it worked it was a good idea to develop it, it obviously does not work anymore (probably never was that much profitable compared to competitors market share)

m4/3 is another approach to reach some (and even more) of the people that did bought into 4/3 system, photographers worried of camera size, but searching something more than a compact are the buyers at which Olympus did aim with m4/3 (previously 4/3)

they got it all wrong instead with 4/3 where the presumed crop factor advantage was never an advantage for most photographers (not much compact), instead it was a limit: resolution, dynamic range, noise and depth of field control was (and is still) inferior to competitors in the same time period.

expensive glass couped with not so good AF system and slow cameras was always driving away the pro or semi-pro users that could eventually appreciate some features of the 4/3 system

there was at least one thread about "this system is doomed" related to the 4/3 system till it was presented (it was in most cases a fanboy game), still it survived almost 7 years and I guess it will be around at least another couple of years,

now it's evident to most that it is nearly a dead end and Olympus is not negating it anymore, as they have hopes in their mirror-less system, the problem is that if this approach is really good and will drive many buyers, the big players will start to play with their rules.

...I really don't think Canon or Nikon are shaking in thier boots over m4/3rds anymore than they were with 4/3rds...it will be a long time before any EVF camera will replace the hardcore DSLR.

In any case, if Oly handles m4/3rds like they continue to handle 4/3rds market Canon & Nikon will trounce them again. The big 2 have thier drawbacks, but they are clearly tuned with thier users in a way Oly never has been.

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Best Regards;
L. John K.

Olympus is doing great with the micro 4/3.

And to be honest they did pretty well with 4/3rds. For the most part they were 3rd or 4th in the marketplace for a very long time.

I hope they release something really good just to quiet the naysayers.

Electronic viewfinders and shutters are the future, so if Olympus does this right they could be in on the ground floor.

Don't count them out of the game yet. They still know photography.

There is one thing you can take from everything everyone, including me, has said in this thread.

Not one poster here, in any way, shape or form, has one even tiny bit of inside information or really knows what they heck Olympus is going to do....period. Everything negative that's been said has no basis in inside knowledge and, depending on the disposition of the poster, has been made more or less negative, but I there are poor souls in this universe that read The National Inquirer and actually believe it.

You are correct about that.

Hopefully we'll all be happy in the next couple of months.

While I know much of the "what will Oly do next" ground has been covered, pro/con, I do not think it would be too much for Oly to publicly voice support for standard 4/3. That would quiet everyone down and lessen the # of people jumping or preparing to jump ship.

It would not hurt sales of the barely existing line.
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Roberthd12

where is this ship you speak of ?

just wondered.

FWIW ... it might make sense for Olympus to drop out of low end 4/3, keeping m43 for the consumer market, and retain a mid to high end 4/3 line up. They make good sales in high end 4/3 glass in some markets (Europe for example).

My personal opinion of m43, and the PENs in particular, is that it's neither one thing or the other. Not compact enough to take anywhere, and useless for anything other than standard zoom focal lengths. Maybe the "EVIL" concept will win in the end, but unless Olympus get a serious clue, it won't be their market.

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Blogs and galleries at http://www.snowhenge.net
E-System photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/snowhenge/

davidrm said:

My personal opinion of m43, and the PENs in particular, is that it's neither one thing or the other. Not compact enough to take anywhere, and useless for anything other than standard zoom focal lengths.

Click to expand...

OMG, so are the G1, GH1, G2, etc more compact than the PEN to take anywhere?
Did you consider people who carry purses or have coat pockets?

There's more wrong in your post too, but I doubt you will listen.

JP

Way more portable than any SLR. Fits in my coat pocket, and way more discreet as well.

People don't notice me shooting with it, and I like that.

It's a very enjoyable shooting experience.

Olympus has a clue. They've been doing this a long time. They're not going to be Canon or Nikon, but that's kind of why I like them.

If I wanted that I would buy a Canon or Nikon. I might have both one day.

In presentation:

"・Operating income positive thanks to cost savings
・New Pen Series digital SLR cameras launched successfully (20% share of
domestic market for same-class cameras)
・Record shipments of digital SLR cameras (550,000/year)"

Leo

Leo said:

In presentation:

"・Operating income positive thanks to cost savings
・New Pen Series digital SLR cameras launched successfully (20% share of
domestic market for same-class cameras)
・Record shipments of digital SLR cameras (550,000/year)"

Click to expand...

Well, if the latter is true, and mostly due to the 620, they would have no reason not to make a 630, wouldn't they?

Am.
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Photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/amalric

I just brought a 50-200 SWD from Amazon for only a little over £800. I guess that is yet another lens out in the wild for Olympus to support. Nonethelss I would not have made that purchase if I did not think that investment safe, either on classic or micro 4/3. Certainly they are hardly being given away by legions of 4/3 desserters on eBay.

i am satisfied there are sufficient rumours of new 4/3 bodies to suggest that the system is likely to be supported.

have publicly said their business focus and strategy? Of course no details but their direction.

It amazes me how many can be in denial in face of the obvious, particularly when the company themselves makes the statements, officially. No national inquirer BS or the like- OLYMPUS themselves.

And if you read the financial reports of the last 2-3 years the facts are their DSLR/imaging division was consistently going down. micro four thirds seems to be their saving grace- as they stated in intention, and so far execution.

When I speak about this I don't think they are going out (yet if they were in the end) but the 4/3rds line isn't looking like it's going to last and the shift will be micro four thirds.

And the 2015 statement was not a made up rumor- it was Olympus CEO making the statement. How more official can you get?

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Raist3d (Photographer & Tools/Systems/Gui Games Developer)
Andreas Feininger (1906-1999) 'Photographers — idiots, of which there are
so many — say, “Oh, if only I had a Nikon or a Leica, I could make great
photographs.” That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard in my life. It’s
nothing but a matter of seeing, and thinking, and interest. That’s what
makes a good photograph.'

Raist3d said:

have publicly said their business focus and strategy? Of course no details but their direction.

It amazes me how many can be in denial in face of the obvious, particularly when the company themselves makes the statements, officially. No national inquirer BS or the like- OLYMPUS themselves.

And if you read the financial reports of the last 2-3 years the facts are their DSLR/imaging division was consistently going down. micro four thirds seems to be their saving grace- as they stated in intention, and so far execution.

When I speak about this I don't think they are going out (yet if they were in the end) but the 4/3rds line isn't looking like it's going to last and the shift will be micro four thirds.

And the 2015 statement was not a made up rumor- it was Olympus CEO making the statement. How more official can you get?

Click to expand...

Go take some pictures. The fear of your world collapsing all around you seems to be taking a horrible toll. You do still take pictures, don't you?

I take more pictures than apparently 75% of this forum. I guess that's what happens when you just react instead of think.

And I am not talking about doom and gloom. I think Olympus embracing micro four thirds and somehow joining the 4/3rds line is their best chance. But by the same token, I am responding to a complete denialist post that flies in face of facts - where some information comes from.

If this bothers you so much, maybe it's you who needs to go around and take some pics? And how exactly telling me "you need to take some pictures" makes anything of what I said invalid? Did you miss logic 101?

--
Raist3d (Photographer & Tools/Systems/Gui Games Developer)
Andreas Feininger (1906-1999) 'Photographers — idiots, of which there are
so many — say, “Oh, if only I had a Nikon or a Leica, I could make great
photographs.” That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard in my life. It’s
nothing but a matter of seeing, and thinking, and interest. That’s what
makes a good photograph.'

Sony people are worried that Sony is abandoning DSLRs. They have the money and have put out many models, but hey companies go where the money is and their DSLRs have not been selling that well.

Pentax people are worried their company will go out of business. The K-x is likely the best selling Pentax DSLR ever, but hey Pentax is just a bad mistake away from bankruptcy...they say.

Canon has top market share, but their fans always seem to worry about Nikon's better quality leading to Canon's demise. Can you imagine what it will be like when mirrorless cameras are pushing DSLRs out and Canon has just decided to enter that market?

And lastly, Nikon, the envy of 'bigger is better' camera types. How long has that D300 or D90 been on the market? You think the E620 is yesterday's technology! Maybe all that research into the hot new mirrorless market Nikon is abandoning their DSLRs!

Have I forgotten anyone?

I don't wear a coat in summer.

Please do inform me of my mistakes. I love to be corrected.
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Blogs and galleries at http://www.snowhenge.net
E-System photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/snowhenge/

I think the times when polite, informed discussion was the norm on this board (circa 2004) have long gone.....

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Blogs and galleries at http://www.snowhenge.net
E-System photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/snowhenge/

I am not an Olympus user but very interested in the development of 4/3 and m4/3.

Just trying to be objective without any particular expertise, 4/3 makes little sense to me because the lenses and bodies (E3) are expensive and relatively big with little if any size/weight/price advantage over Canonikon (see latest Rebel). Moreover, the sensor is also inferior to APS-C (which will get better and better with each iteration, something Oly ca't keep up with resource-wise) so what is the purpose of 4/3? m4/3 makes a lot more sense and I like it a lot - but now with Sony coming in, you have to wonder about that too. These issues keep me from buying into Oly but more power to those who feel this is the system of the future.